Prisoner
by KaraMadora
Summary: Suzaku's slave, a human girl, has had enough of her master's abuse and decides to run away. He decides to punish her, forcing her to earn the right to wear clothes again. What bonds will form in that time? Based on Kittyb78's drabble. SuzakuxOC
1. Running away

Big thanks to Kittyb78 for her drabble. This story is the full story that her drabble hints at

I do not own Suzaku, or the rest of the YuYuHakusho universe. If I did the story would focus more on Suzaku and the demon world. I only own lauryana, and the plot.

....

Lauryana knew it would be a bad day. The Lord of the castle, Suzaku, was in a bad mood. She briefly wondered what had happened to the Suzaku that she had met the first day. That Suzaku had been kind and gentle.

However, in only a month, he had started becoming cruel and violent. There had been days where he would abuse her, then in the evening he would wrap her in a secure embrace and caress her until she was so at peace, that she barely remembered why she was afraid of him. He seemed like a whole different person. She was beginning to guess that the kindness had been a ruse. Whenever he had been nice to here there had been an underlying tension and irritability, as if he wasn't sure how to go about being kind.

It didn't matter now. What mattered was staying out of his sight until he was in a better mood. Nervously, she peeks into a room and glances around. No Suzaku. Good. As quietly as she can, the human scampers across the room to the doorway on the other side. She peeks down the hall and is relieved to see that it was empty.

Lauryana jumps as a sudden scream rents the air. Her lord must be taking out his anger on the defenseless servants. Though this thought should bring relief, it only amplified her fear. The scream had come from close by, and she knew that anyone Suzaku ran into while in this mood would soon be screaming as well. The only ones he wouldn't harm were his fellow Saint Beasts, and his trusted friend Murguruu. She had to start moving again.

She hurries down the hallway, in the opposite direction of the screaming. She passes doorways and halls, not turning into them for fear that they would turn into dead ends.

The terrified blond stops in a room and sighs at the irony. She was trapped in a dead end. There was nowhere to go except back. Panicking, she looks around for an alternative exit. As she had been running, the screams had gotten closer. She couldn't go back.

"There you are." Lorry winces and turns to the only door in the room. Standing in the doorway was Suzaku. He had a smirk on his face, and an evil glint in his eyes. Lauryana mentally whimpers in fear. The fact that he was smirking revealed that he was over his bad mood, but had decided to torture anyone he came across anyway.

He confidently strides over, coming to a stop a few feet away. The powerful demon gives her a once over, then suddenly grasps her arm in a bruising grip, and pulls her closer. Lorry looks up at him, fear evident in her eyes. The blond demon continues to study her, cruel amusement dancing in his eyes.

"You know you can't hide, so why bother? I will find you anyway."

He suddenly sneers and harshly twists her arm, causing the blue-eyed female to cry out in pain. Just as quickly, he lets go and steps back, an evil amusement glinting in his eyes.

"Run…"

Lorry dashes off, trying to get around him. For a few seconds she thinks she is safe but, just as soon as the thought crosses her mind, a fist slams into her side. As she staggers under the impact she hears the pheonix demon whisper "Not quick enough."

Another fist strikes her side, and she falls to her knees, gasping in pain.

"Pathetic…" Suzaku sneers at the human in front of him, his hatred growing with each show of weakness. Why did humans exist anyway. They were so frail, it was hard to imagine why they hadn't died out. But he knew the reason. The spirit world had intervened, cloaking Makai in a powerful barrier that kept all but the weakest demons from entering Ningenkai and getting to the humans. Reikai was hell bent on protecting it's useless humans, and did everything in it's power to make sure they stayed safe.

Angrily, he kicks the female in the ribs, delighting in her cry of pain. "Worthless human! I don't even know why I keep you around!" Suzaku growls. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the neck and hoisted Lorry up in the air, hate burning in his eyes. Lorry's hands immediately latch to his wrists. She thrashes as Suzaku's grip tightens, trying desperately to breath.

Suzaku watches her struggle, wondering why he couldn't go through with the simple action of snapping her neck. Why he could not even envision her death at his hands.

Disgusted with himself, he flings her away, and watches as she lands with a thud.

Angrily, he turns and strides away to find a place where he could contemplate this new predicament, leaving the human on the floor, gasping as she filled her lungs with fresh air.

Lauryana blinked back tears, and whimpered in pain. This abuse had gone on too long. In the past he had simply caused bruising, but this time her nearly killed her. It was time to leave. It didn't matter that she didn't know how to get out. Staying here was no longer an option.

Once she is sure he is gone, Lorry slowly stands up. Her throat burns as she moans in pain as her abused ribs protest the movement. "Why? What did I ever do to him?" She asks aloud. The words that came out of her mouth sounded weak and raspy.

Alarmed, her hand goes immediately to her throat, gently feeling for damage.

In his anger, the fierce demon lord had injured her vocal cords. Since she was a singer, this was terrible news. She enjoyed singing, and was afraid of how long it would take to be able to use her voice properly. She checks the surrounding area, then stiffens as a sound reaches her ears. It was the sound of his Makai Whistle. He was playing a haunting melody, and the sound echoed throughout his home. He would be distracted for a while.

Lauryana makes up her mind. She heads out the door and down the halls, searching for the way out. After a bit, she reaches a hallway that was unfamiliar to her. She hadn't been in this part of the castle often, if ever. She wanders down the stairwell and finds herself in another hallway. She was lost. Worried, she wanders down this hallway, looking out the windows occasionally to help her guess where she was.

Another hallway. Another room. Another stairwell.

Hallway. Stairwell. Room.

All unfamiliar to her.

The music that she could hear in the distance stopped. The blond haired human panics, and dashes through the room she was currently in to the stairs at the other side. Running down them, she nearly trips, barely managing to catch herself.

"Lauryana!" An angry yell echoes from a place far behind her. Not far enough to give her comfort though. Now that he knew of her plan, she was in greater danger than before.

Lorry exits the stairs and finds herself in a room with two doors. She chooses one and rushed through it, only to stop in alarm. The door led to a dead end room. On the far wall was a balcony, and Lorry quickly makes her way to it. Peering over the edge, she sees a large, somewhat familiar walkway that led to a lower part of the castle. A part of the castle that was probably not where Suzaku lived.

She would take the chance in the domain of the other demons.

"Lauryana! Where are you?!" Suzaku yelled. He was closer now.

Lorry's blue eyes widen in alarm, and she makes her way quickly to the room she had come in from. This time she chooses the other door, and finds herself at the entrance to a circular stairwell. She hurries down the stairs. They seemed to go on for several stories, and just as she despaired of ever escaping, the exit came into view. The human steps out onto the walkway and looks behind her nervously. If Suzaku had reached the balcony, he would surely see her. Lorry takes a deep breath, and heads across the exposed walkway.

Suzaku looks around angrily. His slave, the human Lauryana, was apparently trying to run away. Didn't she know how dangerous that was? Didn't she understand that her life was his? That she belonged to him? What did she have to go back to that would make her run? What did he do?

As the last question crossed his mind, the blond demon sighs. He had nearly killed her this time. Lorry wasn't the type to fight back, so her instinct was to run. To hide in a safe place. She probably didn't think of his home as safe anymore.

Still, she was his, and he would make her understand that. He would bring her back, and teach her never to run again. The purple eyed lord pauses and listens. He could hear someone down in the floors below him. They were being noisier than his servants, so it was probably the human. She was near the entrance of his lair. She was close to escaping.

Suzaku quickly makes his way to the balcony, traveling along hidden passages that would get him there quicker. He reaches the balcony and scans the room. His slave had been here recently. There was a small layer of dust on the floor of this rarely used room, and it had been disturbed recently.

He walks over to the railing of the balcony, and looks over. He watched the walkway for a bit, and smiles to himself as Lorry steps out into his view. The Pheonix demon quickly steps back. He didn't want her to see him. After a minute, he steps back to the railing and smirks as he spots her. She was rushing to the opposite end of the walkway, towards Seiryyu's lair.

Suzaku gauges the distance, and steps onto the railing, then jumps.

He lands softly, and runs quickly to where his slave was. He reaches her in seconds.

She turns slightly to look behind her, and Suzaku steps in front of her. Her beautiful blue eyes widen in surprise and fear, and manages a small yelp before he knocks her out. Suzaku catches her before she falls to the floor and stares at the woman in his arms for a few seconds, the slings her over a shoulder. His mind wanders to how he would punish her as he makes his way back to the inner reaches of his home.


	2. Consequences

As he makes his way through the hallways, he pays more attention to the female slung over his shoulder. He didn't want her to wake up too soon. As he climbs the last set of stairs, the pheonix demon frowns. She was too light. He had carried her before, just last week when she had been too exhausted to walk any farther, and she had been a healthy weight then. She had lost weight since that time.

Too much weight. If he wanted to keep her alive he would have to take better care of her, and make sure she got enough to eat.

The leader of the saint beasts walks inside his room and smirks at the sight of the manacles bolted to the wall beside his bed. On the floor below the manacles was a mattress covered in a thick blanket. He had been planning this for some time, and everything was in place. Suzaku sets Lauryana on the mattress and quickly attaches the manacles to her wrists, then leans back to view his handiwork.

The blond female was lying flat on her back, her full chest rising and falling with each breath. Her dirty kimono did little to hide her figure. It clung to her form almost like a second skin. The view was enough for him to change his mind about how he was going to punish her.

Smirking, he places his hands on her breasts, inwardly laughing at her shocked gasp. He looks at her face, and his smirk grows wider at her expression. The now awakened human was staring at him with wide blue eyes, and he could see her cheeks growing red.

Without warning, he ripped the top of her kimono off, exposing her plump breasts.

Lauryana kicked at him in retaliation, but Suzaku simply laughed, staying just out of her range. He darts back over, catching her swinging legs and rips the remainder of her kimono off, then rips off her underwear as well, leaving her naked. The human by now had given in and was lying back, her eyes closed and her face turned away, trembling with fear and embarrassment.

"Now, since you had to disobey me and try to escape, you'll have to earn the right to wear clothes again. Behave yourself my little slave, and I might be nice to you." Lauryana's eyes snap open at his words, and she looks at him with wide, worried eyes. The Saint Beast smiles and pats her head. "You _will _behave, right?"

She nods vigorously and Suzaku frowns at her lack of vocal communication. "Why did you run away?"

Lauryana looks away sadly. "You nearly killed me. All the other times I only ended up with cuts and bruises. But this time, this time you not only almost strangled me, but you also damaged my throat. I wont be able to talk normally, or sing until it heals"

The blond demon inwardly winces at how her voice sounded. He liked listening to her sing. He liked the way almost everything she said had a musical ring to it. But in a fit of rage, he had taken that away from both of them.

"I'll see what I can do." Suzaku sighs, then heads out the door. Once outside, he rings a small bell that was hanging on the wall. Soon a servant appears in front of him. "Tell the cooks to make something healthy and filling for dinner, and deliver it to my chamber at six. I want two plates of food and a cool tea." He tells the small lizard-like demon.

"As you command." The servant bows and scurries off.

_'One thing down. Now for the other.'_ He thinks to himself as he heads down to his apothecary, where his stash of herbs and potions were kept. The apothecary was a nice sized room, with tables and bookcases lining the walls. On them were beakers and bottles containing potions and other liquid, and jars, trays, and boxes containing both fresh and dried herbs. Only one bookcase actually held books. It stored journals filled with his notes on experiments, and recipes for different concoctions. Suzaku heads to this bookshelf first. He flips through a few recipe books before he finds the one he needs, then starts working.

Lorry had been staring at the ceiling since the demon had left_. 'I'll see what I can do? Was he apologizing just then? What did he mean? What is he going to do to me this time? Why did he bring me back here?_' Many questions raced through her mind, but there were no answers to them. The only thing she could do was wait for him to come back. Experimentally, she tugs on the chains. Although they were light, the chains held strong, refusing to break. The blonde female sits up, wincing as her abused ribs protested the movement. She eyes her ribs, and sighs when she sees a rather large bruise forming. She examines her body, counting the injuries. By now, it was more of a game than anything else. By the time Suzaku came back, the human girl had counted fourteen visible injuries and four more places where a bruise would likely form.

"What are you doing?"

"Counting the injuries. So far I've found about eighteen." Lauryana looks up from examining her hip. The lord of the castle was watching her with a slight frown on his face. In his hand was a clear cup filled with a clear green substance that looked like it had a consistency of cough syrup.

"What is that?" _'it looks poisonous' _

Suzaku glances at the cup in his hand, then back at her worried face. "It is just something to help you get your voice back and heal any internal damage quicker. However, as my slave, you should not ask questions."

She looks away. "Sorry. Thank you for your honesty though."

_'So she knows that my kindness has been a ruse.'_ He thinks to himself as he kneels down next to the human and hands her the cup. She looks at it for a moment, then tilts her head back and swallows the concoction. Suzaku checks her neck as she drinks the potion. There were some bad bruises around her throat. He had really done some damage this time.

"May I have some water to wash it down with?" she asks when she is done, making a face at the sour taste.

"No. The potion will be washed away from the place that needs it if you drink anything just after taking it."

"Oh."

Suzaku gets up and heads out the door. "I'll be back around dinner time."

Lorry sighs "Goodbye…"

Suzaku didn't hear her. He heads to the balcony, and once there begins to plan for the time ahead that he was going to spend with his captive. _'I'll need to get more clothes for her. That one I took off her was one of the few she owns. I can get some of my seamstresses to make something for her, but I'd need to unchain her for them to get proper measurements. I will have to start giving her regular meals instead of making her go without whenever I am angry at her.'_ His thoughts wander for a while, then he heads back to his room. The female had somehow managed to cover herself with one of the blankets, and was busy adjusting it so that as little skin was showing as possible.

Suzaku frowns. "No clothes also means no covering of any kind." He tells her as he uncovers her body. She makes a distressed sound, "But it is cold in here."

"Too bad. You shouldn't have run off. Tell you what? I'll let you use a blanket at night. But you have to behave better, and do everything I tell you. OK?"

Lorry looks downward submissively. "As you wish."

The demon lord smirks and pats her head. "You're learning."

A knock sounds at the door and Suzaku smirks. "That would be dinner." He opens the door and three servants walk in, carrying two trays of food and drink. They wordlessly place the trays on a table and hurry out.

The human lifts her head, trying to see what had been served. She couldn't see the food, but she could definitely smell it. Her stomach growls at the appetizing aroma. Hearing the sound, Suzaku turns toward her with a slight smile on his face. He picks up one of the trays and sets it down near her side, but grasps her arm when she reaches for the fork. "I never said you could do that."

Too hungry to protest, Lauryana pulls back her hand and sighs sadly, looking longingly at the plate of bite sized chunks of meat and vegetables. With a strange expression on his face, Suzaku pierces a piece of meat with the fork and hovers it in front of her face. "Eat."

The blond female's eyes widen, but she opens her mouth obediently. With a grin of triumph, the purple-eyed demon feeds her the proffered food. He continues to feed her until she turns her head away from the offering and asks quietly "May I please have something to drink?"

Suzaku smiles and hands her a cup of tea. After she drinks it, Lauryana sighs "Are you just playing at being nice again?"

"No. It seems pointless now that you know it was a ruse."

"Then why?"

" When you wake up tomorrow, you will have to obey my every whim, so I thought I would give you one last day of kindness."

"Thank you."


	3. plans and baths

Thanks for your patience

I was searching "Suzaku" in the yyh catigory and was alarmed to find that most of them are not about Suzaku, but his child or sibling that has vowed revenge. WTH?

I have obtained a few Saint Beast cards from the YYH TCG, and I have a few Suzaku on the way *SQUEEE* In the booster pack I bought, I found a Murugu card. I find it funny that she is labeled as _Murugu: The obnoxious._ What really caught my eye was that her name was spelled Murugu instead of Muruguu or Murg or whatever.

Guppyloveshoes: Yes, Lord Suzaku is a meanie-face-jerk, but keep in mind that he never had a good reason to be nice. Even though he is the ruler of Saint beasts and demon city, his position can be taken by someone who kills him. It is a demon-eat-demon world, and he has to stay vicious to stay on top. He has really only ever been nice to Murugu, and dealing with Lorry is a rather new experience.

I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

A knock sounds at the door and Suzaku smirks. "That would be dinner." He opens the door and three servants walk in, carrying two trays of food and drink. They wordlessly place the trays on a table and hurry out.

The human lifts her head, trying to see what had been served. She couldn't see the food, but she could definitely smell it. Her stomach growls at the appetizing aroma. Hearing the sound, Suzaku turns toward her with a slight smile on his face. He picks up one of the trays and sets it down near her side, but grasps her arm when she reaches for the fork. "I never said you could do that."

Too hungry to protest, Lauryana pulls back her hand and sighs sadly, looking longingly at the plate of bite sized chunks of meat and vegetables. With a strange expression on his face, Suzaku pierces a piece of meat with the fork and hovers it in front of her face. "Eat."

The blond female's eyes widen, but she opens her mouth obediently. With a grin of triumph, the purple-eyed demon feeds her the proffered food. He continues to feed her until she turns her head away from the offering and asks quietly "May I please have something to drink?"

Suzaku smiles and hands her a cup of tea. After she drinks it, Lauryana sighs "Are you just playing at being nice again?"

"No. It seems pointless now that you know it was a ruse."

"Then why?"

"When you wake up tomorrow, you will have to obey my every whim, so I thought I would give you one last day of kindness."

"Thank you."

Suzaku nods and returns to feeding his slave.

Once there was no more food on either plate, the pheonix demon has a servant take the trays away and leaves the room, heading to a room on the other end of his domain. "Murugu?" Suzaku calls in greeting as he enters the room.

A green parrot-like demon flies down from her perch to land on his shoulder. "You called?"

Suzaku looks around his friend's room before answering. "Do you still have that toy you found? The plush?"

The bird demon nods and retrieves the item, dropping it into her lord's waiting hands. "I don't know why you want it, unless you mean to try your hand at sewing." She comments, then looks at him suspiciously "This doesn't have to do with your pet human, does it? Why do you keep her around anyway?"

Suzaku ignores the question and studies the stuffed toy. It was supposed to be a demon, but with no distinguishable features to place it's species. Its face was a tapered box shape, with two curved horns and cow-like ears. It had dark blue button eyes, and a zigzag line to depict a mouth. The body was short and chubby, with a lizard like tail that had a tuft of fake fur at the end. It had four fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot. The main body was a maroon, with cream-colored horns and stomach.

"Where did you get this?" he asks.

His red-eyed friend shrugged. "Some lady gave it to me to keep quiet about some thing. I bet she still lives in the city, as her secret wasn't useful. She animates and sells them to demons that have no time for their children. Why do you ask?"

Suzaku looks the plush over once more "I think I want to make one of these as a starting point. Can you get a copy of the pattern, and arrange for the materials needed to get to my domain without the others knowing? I want to use light blue and cream colored cloth for this, and dark blue thread."

Murugu shrugs. "I can do that. It'll take a day or two though."

Suzaku nods and sets the ratty plush down, then heads back to his room. Most of his plans were set, and those that weren't could wait until tomorrow.

He steps into his chambers and glances at his slave. She was sound asleep, apparently haven given up on keeping her eyes open. Suzaku couldn't blame her. She had had a very eventful day, and she didn't have his stamina. The Saint Beast smiles slightly as he pulls a blanket over her nude form. She was cute, for a human, and the innocent expression on her face made her seem all the more vulnerable. His eyes soften as the sleeping human snuggles further into the blankets and sighs. Adorable.

Suzaku spares her one more glance before taking off his top and going to his own bed. As his purple eyes close, he wonders once again what her life in Ningenkai was like. The thought doesn't keep him up for long, and soon he too is asleep.

Morning. Suzaku sits up and runs his fingers through his messy hair.

He glances at the mattress beside his bed, recalling what had happened yesterday. _'I'll have to do something about those shackles. She looks like she got pretty tangled up during the night. She's lucky she hasn't choked herself'_

A whimper brings his attention to the human. "Master?"

She was looking at him with the most pitiful expression. Suzaku laughs and unlocks the shackles from her wrists and pulls the human into a sitting position.

"Hold still." He commands as he carefully untangles the chains from around her form, then unshackles her. Lorry obeys and waits until the chains had been removed before speaking. "Um… Master Suzaku? May I ask something?"

The demon nods, pleased that she had used the title, and that her voice was sounding much better. "You may."

"Why did you bring me back? If you hate me so much, wouldn't you be happy that I'm gone? I am just a worthless human after all. You said it yourself." Lorry looks at the floor as she asks he question, not wanting to meet her master's eyes.

Suzaku thinks on how to explain the situation for a few minutes, then replies "I don't think you have realized this yet, but the moment you stepped into my home, you became mine. You, your life, and your future all belong to me. When I say you are _mine_, I mean that you are mine and mine alone. No one else is allowed to touch you without my permission. That being said, you came really close to being captured by one of the other demons. I want you to realize that if they caught you, they would save eating you for last. First they would probably find other uses for your body."

"You mean I would be raped?" Her voice was soft and fearful.

"Yes, among other things." He watches as she shudders. Good. She understood.

"So I have to stay in your area?" Suzaku nods, but frowns when it seemed she had another question. "But what keeps them from coming here?"

"We all stay in our own respective domain. Only when we need to converge, like when a team of demon slayers visit and we want to battle them, or when it is too troublesome to communicate using servants, do we leave our areas. What keeps them in their respective domains is fear of invoking the wrath of the area's owner. As I am the strongest, no one dares enter my domain without my expressed permission."

Lorry nods, but still looked worried. The blond demon sighs. "When I am gone, or the others are around, I want you to stay quiet and in the upper chambers. You will be safe from them if you do this. Understand?"

She looked more reassured now, and inclined her head in compliance.

A knock came at the door, and Suzaku opens it to admit the servants in. Once again, they silently set the food down on the table and leave. Suzaku motions for her to come sit at the table, and when she does gestures at one of the plates of food. "Eat."

The human shyly sits down, picks up a fork, and silently begins to consume her meal, trying hard to ignore the fact that she was naked. After they had finished, Suzaku gets up and heads toward the door. "Follow me."

Lauryana quickly rises and follows her master through the corridors. After a minute, she realizes that he was headed for the bathing chamber. The human blushes as she wonders what was going through her master's mind. She had a good guess that, one way or another; there would be bodily contact between the two of them.

Once there, Suzaku looks around, pleased with how he had had things constructed. The Bathing Chamber was about 14 by 18 square feet, with a large tub at the end and a shower nearby on the other side was a rack with soaps, washcloths, and fresh towels. The tub had several niches to rest in, and a few raised areas where one could sit and have only their hips and legs underwater. The water was never too cold, as low-level fire demon servants kept it at a constant warm temperature. Used water was piped to a room just below this one, where servants who had control over water used their powers to clean it and send it back to the tub or to the holding tank, where it could either be stored for future baths, or let out from a tube at the shower if someone pulled the on the stopper. It was all very convenient, and only he had one. The other demons of Maze castle didn't take showers or baths the way he did. Seiryyu just turned the grime into ice. Byakko probably cleaned himself like a human's housecat would, and Genbu didn't need to bathe. He _was_ made out of rock after all.

Lorry glances inquiringly at the pheonix demon, who commands her to get wet in the shower, then get in the tub. After dousing herself with water, she happily scampers over and climbs in to rest in one of the niches, relishing in the feel of warm water against her skin. Suzaku had never let her use the tub before. She had only been allowed to use the shower, which could be compared to having someone dump a large bucket of warm water over you.

Soon however, Suzaku came over and climbed in, setting a washcloth and jar of soap on the side of the tub. The female blushes and turns away. She had never seen a naked man before, and wasn't ready to.

Suzaku smirks at her reaction. _'Is she really that innocent?_' still, he wanted to check her body for any additional injuries, and couldn't do that if she was facing away from him or that deep in the water. "Go sit on that raised area." Lorry sighs and clambers onto the raised part of the tile, sitting so that Suzaku was still behind her. The golden haired demon represses a sigh and lets his eyes rove over her body. The visible bruises were fading and the cuts were healing. "Turn around and face me."

Lorry cringes and turns back around so that her front was facing her master. She kept her eyes on her lap, hoping that this would keep her from seeing whatever a male had down there.

Suzaku nods in satisfaction. All her injuries were healing. "You can get down now." He hands her a washcloth and a small jar of soap. "Get cleaned up." _'As cute as that blush is, I don't want to press too hard. Best that we each bathe ourselves this time.'_ The female gets down from her perch and takes the items, then wades to the far side of the tub. As she washes her blond hair, Lorry wonders what the purple-eyed demon was planning.

* * *

Suzaku: Ok, you posted. Bo back to sleep. I dont want you to get even more sick

But it is just.... *sneezes*... ok


	4. Tell of the past

I'm back! Suzaku took a little break and alowed my other two muses a chance to talk to me. *glomps him* Thanks!

Suzaku: *grumbles at the public affection*

I am absolutely giddy with happiness. A week ago I got a package with Yu Yu Hakusho cards in it. I now am the proud owner of Two types of Suzaku Character cards, a Murugu card, along with the rest of the saint beasts. It gets better! I am soon to have a Suzaku action figure! It comes with his throne-chair and his bow and arrow styled Storm of Torment attack! SQUEEEE!

Anyway, on the replies.

crazyagent013: Thanks! I'm glad you have enjoyed it so far! I've been focusing on Suzaku for a bit, but I try to let both he and Lauryana speak from thier POV. For instance, in the last chapter they reach the bathing chamber. The description of the bathing room doesnt have a POV, but you also get to hear both of the character's thoughts on the place. (Suzaku reflects that he is the only one with one of these in the castle, and on the sanitary habits, or lack thereof. In turn, Lorry reveals that she had never been allowed to use the tub)

guppyloveshoes: Thank you for your continued intrest in this story. I must admit that I most often come into a series through fanfiction, AMVs, or fanart. I explored the fan-made things, and through them learned about the series. However, I often looked up the characters I was interested in. I advise you to do the same, as it will spare you a lot of confusion in the future. As for what he is going to do with the plush... Keep reading the series and find out. All will be revealed in due time.

I'd also like to thank anyone who took the time to read my stories. I am greatful to all of you for your interest.

* * *

Suzaku nods in satisfaction. All her injuries were healing. "You can get down now." He hands her a washcloth and a small jar of soap. "Get cleaned up."_ 'As cute as that blush is, I don't want to press too hard. Best that we each bathe ourselves this time.'_ The female gets down from her perch and takes the items, then wades to the far side of the tub. As she washes her blond hair, Lorry wonders what the purple-eyed demon was planning.

Suzaku watches his slave as he scrubs his body. She was acting like an innocent girl. One who had never seen a naked man before. Was she just acting, or was this really the case? _'I wonder if I can get her to open up more'_

"Lorry?" She turns to look at him. "Scrub my back." A reasonable command, as the back was one of the harder places to reach. However, for some reason, the human freezes in place at the command.

"What's the matter? Surely you've seen a naked male before?" The demon taunts. Lorry flushes with embarrassment as she stammers a negative, but still wades over to where her master was standing, hip deep in the water. When she reaches him, he turns his back to her and waits for her to start, amused at how embarrassed she was getting. The blonde female soaps up the washcloth in her hand and starts rubbing it in small circles across his back, trying to ignore the strange urge to run her fingers over the smooth skin.

"You truly have never seen a naked male before?" Suzaku's voice sounded both curious and confused.

"I have seen pictures of nude men in books and on the computer, but not in the flesh. None of the males where I lived would go out with me on a date, and most of them gave me strange looks whenever I went out. I suppose that I wasn't pretty enough for them, or something I did drove them off, as whenever the conversation really started to get anywhere, they would suddenly 'remember' an appointment or something they should be doing." She replies quietly.

"They never contacted you again?" He asked. It just didn't seem right. His slave was very pretty. Surely some of the men had seen that.

"No. If I saw them again, even if we simply ran into eachother at the mall or on the street, they would make another excuse and leave. Some simply turned around and headed in the opposite direction. I _hated_ it. The excuses were all so easy to see through."

Suzaku was sure that his back was clean now, but didn't tell her to quit. This was getting interesting. Instead, he made an encouraging sound, hoping that she would continue to tell him of her problems back in Ningenkai.

"It was bad enough when they made the excuse the first time, but why did they have to continue? I was always polite to them. Why did they think they had to lie to get away from me? Why couldn't they just tell me 'Sorry, I'm not interested.' instead of making some lame excuse about their grandma coming over? I never understood why they found me so… repulsive." She continues.

Suzaku frowns and turns so that he was facing the female. She was looking off toward the wall, and her expression was one of hurt confusion. Without a word, he pulls her against his chest and stroked her wet hair softly. That seemed to break the dam, and Lauryana started to sob against his chest. Unsure as how to respond to a crying female, Suzaku simply holds her close murmuring soothingly until she stopped crying.

After a bit, the female calms down and attempts to pull away, only to stop when he refuses to release her. "Sorry. I- uh… Master Suzaku?" Her soft voice breaks off as she realizes that she was stuck. The pheonix demon glances down at her. She was looking up at him warily, but dropped her gaze when his eyes met her blue ones. Then she flushed as she realized just how close their bodies were. "Master? M-may I finish washing?"

Suzaku nods and released her, then stepped away. Lauryana steps back as well, turns, and begins to scrub herself, intent on ridding her body of any traces of grime.

The lord of the Saint Beasts watches her as she does so; idly wondering if the red on her skin was from the blush, or from how hard she was scrubbing. _'It would be such a shame if she scrubbed that soft skin of hers raw.'_ With that thought in mind, he reaches over and snags the washcloth out of her hand. "Your body is clean enough. It is time to rinse and get out."

Lauryana squeaks in surprise as the cloth was tugged out of her grip. Hearing the command, she nods, takes a breath, and dunks under the water to get the suds out of her hair. Once that was done, she climbs carefully out of the tub and rinses the last of the suds from her body under the shower. As the blue-eyed human toweled herself dry, Suzaku took his turn at rinsing off. "I expect to have a towel ready for me when I get out."

Now dry, Lorry places the used towel in the laundry basket and carefully hurries over to stand near the shower, a dry towel in her arms. Suzaku steps out from under the shower and takes the towel from her, nodding in approval at her obedience. She blushes again as his eyes wander over her body, but then shivers as the water she had missed cools on her skin. The amethyst-eyed demon finishes drying off, then orders her back to his chambers. She lowers her head submissively "Yes master." then hurries through the hallways to the well-furnished room.

Suzaku watches her go with satisfaction. He dresses himself, and then heads off down the hallways to where one of the bells was, with thoughts of getting his slave a new set of clothes. His clothes maker knew him well enough not to ask questions or reveal any of his secrets.

Lorry sighed and lay back on her mattress, crossing her arms behind her head. Now that she was alone, she could think about things in peace. _'Suzaku…'_ Once again, a wave of mingled fear, desire, and embarrassment coursed through her body in an uncomfortable flush of heat. He was handsome, yes, with a body that had the perfect amount of muscles. She had browsed through enough books, magazines, and Internet pictures, to know that she didn't prefer a muscleman's body. To her, they seemed to be bursting at the seams, and looked over-exaggerated. No. Suzaku's lean-toned body was perfect to her; smooth, with muscles that flowed into one another. She flushed again as she thought about what she had seen in the bathing room. Watching the water slide along his body. Him knowing that he had that effect.

It wasn't right. She was his slave. He was her controlling master. A slave was not supposed to love a master who was as hurtful as he was. She had read enough romance and fantasy novels to know _that_. Even if his desire in her was enough to act on it, there was no way to tell if he was the sort who hurt his lovers. As the female had told Suzaku, she had never had a lover, or even a boyfriend.

All she knew about sex was what she had heard or read. She was 20 years old, and no male had ever shown interest in her before this. But her Master was interested. How could she not notice that heated gaze as it roved over her body? _'But it's not my place! It's not right! He's a demon, and your master. You're a human and his slave.'_ her mind protested again. _'A master makes the rules, does he not? If he indicates that a relationship between us is fine, then there should be very little to worry about on that matter.'_ She counters.

Lauryana shakes her head violently, trying to clear her head. It didn't help much.

Instead she turns her attention to the room she was in. She had rarely been in Suzaku's personal chamber, and she had been too upset to really look around. Lorry gets up and wanders around, examining the furnishing. There were a few dressers and cabinets, and a display case with various items in it.

The bed her master used was a Canopy bed. It had rich red and golden yellow blankets, with a softer shade of purple for the sheets. There were numerous pillows, most of which were red and purple. The bed frame was made from a sturdy dark red-brown wood, and the headboard had phoenixes carved into it.

There was a full-length mirror near the far wall, with demonic lights on either side to give the user suitable light. Above her, there was a chandelier, which cast a warm light. The closest thing she could compare the lights to was large quartz crystals. She had once asked Suzaku about them, and he had told her that the crystals converted demonic energy into light. When they were fashioned into lights, the crystals were attuned to a switch that controlled how much energy they absorbed. Thus, they could be dimmed and brightened to suit the owner's desires.

As she reaches the middle of the room, her feet touch something soft. The female looks down to find herself on a large rug. The circular rug was colored in shades of blue, with a design of blooming sakura branches that intertwined at the center. Lauryana giggles. This rug was certainly not something she would have expected. She wiggles her toes, delighted with the feel of the soft material between them. Feeling a bit more cheerful, she starts humming and made a few graceful dance steps. _'Might as well. I've always wanted to dance in the nude.' _She takes a few more steps, then started into a slow waltz, dancing with invisible partners. The waltz turned into something more active. She twirled, glided, and curved to her imaginary music, closing her eyes as she did so. She was so wrapped up in her dance, that she never heard the door opening, or the pair of footsteps that halted just inside the room.


	5. Measurements

Back from Oregon. I had a bunch of fun picking rasberries, but oh, it is good to be back home. Anyway, I got a box with a Suzaku figure in the mail, and he has been keeping my mind running on new ideas, bless him. It will take a bit to catch up with all the stories on mt subscription list.

Suzaku: Not saying much, are you?

Naw. Not much has happened that is relevant.

SweetxasxSin, that has to be the nicest review Ive ever gotten. Thank you!

* * *

As she reaches the middle of the room, her feet touch something soft. The female looks down to find herself on a large rug. The circular rug was colored in shades of blue, with a design of blooming sakura branches that intertwined at the center. Lauryana giggles. This rug was certainly not something she would have expected. She wiggles her toes, delighted with the feel of the soft material between them. Feeling a bit more cheerful, she starts humming and made a few graceful dance steps. _'Might as well. I've always wanted to dance in the nude.' _She takes a few more steps, then started into a slow waltz, dancing with invisible partners. The waltz turned into something more active. She twirled, glided, and curved to her imaginary music, closing her eyes as she did so. She was so wrapped up in her dance, that she never heard the door opening, or the pair of footsteps that halted just inside the room.

Suzaku was only half listening to the clothes maker's words. It wasn't as if they were anything new. The same old complaints about the numerous stairs, the lack of help, the price of the fabrics, the cold… Yes. He had heard it all before, each and every time she came over. She was the best seamstress in the Demon City, and when she wasn't working, made nice company.

"Milord? I know you still have plenty of useable outfits, so what is this summons for?" He glanced at her, noting the curious expression in her gray eyes. "You'll see, Amaya. Be patient."

The kitsune huffs at the non-answer, but her eyes sparkle in anticipation. She loved surprises.

As they neared the final flight of stairs, he wordlessly takes her basket of supplies and leads her to his room. The pheonix demon opens the door and steps inside, only to freeze as he notices his pet dancing in the middle of the room. Amaya edges past him and grins. "So it _is_ a girl! Heh. I can see why you called me. Making an outfit for a flexible female is going to be fun!"

He barely hears her. Suzaku watches, mesmerized, as the human's slim frame curved and flowed in a graceful dance, riveted by her grace and the smooth curves of her legs. He wondered how it would feel when she wrapped those long legs around him, holding him tightly inside her. Lorry's blue eyes were closed, and she seemed unaware that she had an audience.

The seamstress edges a bit farther into the room, her eyes fixed on Lauryana's dancing form. She was already having ideas on the possible designs. Amaya was intrigued with the idea that her favorite patron was keeping a human alive in his home. She was even more intrigued by the fact that he wanted her to make clothes for the female. To have her clothed in something _she_ made meant that he was planning on keeping the blonde around for a long while. Brushing back an unruly strand of red hair, the kitsune studies the dancing human, wondering what it was about this human that had enamored the demon lord.

Lauryana finishes her dance with a final slow twirl, and lets the motion flow into a curtsy, her torso inclined, her head lowered.

"Yes. I think I'll enjoy this project." The human starts in surprise at the sound of a female voice. She straightens, to find her master and a strange demon standing in the doorway. _'How long have they been standing there?'_ she wonders in faint embarrassment. She looks questioningly at Suzaku, who snaps himself out of his thoughts to introduce the two females to each other.

"Lauryana? This is Amaya. You are to obey her whenever she comes over. Amaya? This is Lauryana. She is the one you are to design clothes for." He then turns to the shorter demon "I want you to get the measurements, then we'll go over what types of outfits you'll make."

She nods, replying "I know. Now stand somewhere out of the way." Their relationship had lasted long enough for him not to take offence from her orders. The phoenix demon nods his understanding and goes to sit on his bed.

Satisfied, Amaya turns back to the human and clasped her hands in glee. "Oh, this is going to be so grand! It has been a while since I was able to work with a female figure. Now please hold out your arms and hold still." The red haired demon walks over to Lorry and circles her, studying the human's figure. Her gray eyes narrow as the human shifts uncomfortably. "I'm not going to hurt you, dear. Please relax. I can't get proper measurements if you tighten your muscles."

Lauryana relaxes, but was not entirely convinced. After all, the only demons she knew were Suzaku and Murguru. She watches nervously as the female kitsune picks a measuring tape and begins to take measurements. Finally, she jotted down the last of the numbers and packed up her tools. Suzaku followed her out the door, and Lorry relaxed. It was nerve-racking being under such scrutiny.

She goes to sit on her mattress, and sighs. It was the first day of this ordeal, out of who knows how many, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could cope. Every time she thought she couldn't get more embarrassed, something happened that made her blush harder than before.

Once in the lounge, Suzaku selects a chair and sits down, with Amaya following suit. The kitsune watches her friend as he sits back, then speaks. "You are going to keep this human around for a while. If you weren't, you would have had her dressed in servant's clothes."

The amethyst eyed demon nods. "It seems that way. When she first came here a month ago, I had planned to kill her once I got bored."

"And you never did?"

Suzaku shakes his head. "I did get bored, but by then I wanted to keep her around. There are so many things to her personality that intrigues me. She isn't at all like any of the henchmen King Enma sends here to their doom."

Amaya nods in satisfaction. "Good. I _won't_ be making outfits for someone whose days are numbered." She pulls out a notepad and a pencil. "Now what did you want her outfits to be like? I can make different kinds for different uses, but you have to tell me what those are."

Suzaku thinks for a moment, then says, "She will need durable and comfortable clothes. That's for certain." He then relates his plans for the outfits, with Amaya taking notes.

Lauryana starts in surprise as the door opens. She had been doing that a lot lately. Being nude in her master's domain was beginning to make her a nervous wreck. To her relief, it was only a servant, who was carrying a tray with lunch on it. "Is that for me?" She asks. The servant silently nods, puts the tray on the table, then heads out the door. The human heads over, sits down, and begins to eat. Once finished, she goes back to her mattress and sits down on it. There wasn't much to do in her master's chambers.

The sound of flapping wings interrupts her thoughts, and she turns to see Murugu fly in to the room through the window. The bird lands on the back of a chair, and turns to face the human.

"You are still here?" she asks, a look of annoyance on her face.

Lorry nods "If you mean _'in this room'_; Master Suzaku gave me orders to stay in his chambers until he said otherwise. If you mean _'still alive'_; then I have no excuse. I do not know why my Master has kept me alive this long, and I don't wish to ask."

The bird narrows her ruby eyes at the smart answer, but seemed pleased "I might actually start liking you. You know your place, you don't get in the way, and you seem to have a better intelligence than the men who came here to challenge us." She says after a small pause.

The blond female smiles slightly in response to the veiled complement. "If I may? What are the other Saint beasts like?"

Murugu chortles, "You are curious about the others? I suppose you would be, seeing as you only know your master and I, and only got a small view of Byakko." The green bird thinks for a moment, then responds "Well, curiosity is a good thing, so I'll tell you. The weakest among us is Genbu, who you have to get past in order to get anywhere further in the castle. He is made of rock and looks like a turtle with a snake or scorpion's tail. He has the ability to go through solid stone, and reconstruct himself if anything gets lopped off. I'd say Genbu is about a man's height, plus two or three feet."

"Byakko is a Tiger demon. He has blue fur, with green stripes, and is one or two feet taller then Genbu. He is the second weakest, but is still formidable. He consumes Spirit energy, which increases his size. He has a few more attacks, but those are best left unmentioned."

"I didn't see Genbu on the way in to the castle. The first one we saw was Byakko." Lorry comments.

Murugu smirks at her observation. "That is because Byakko demanded that he be let to face the intruder. Genbu took that as an opportunity to leave the castle and scare some of the city's demons. Anyway, the last of us is Seiryyu. He is a blue dragon demon, who uses ice to attack. Seiryyu is easily nine feet tall." Murugu pauses and looks thoughtful "Now that I mention it, Suzaku is the only one who is normal sized for his power level. For most demons, the biggest are most often low-level, and stupid. Armed with that knowledge, you would never expect the other three to be as strong and smart as they are."

"Mmmm. I bet that led to some very quick deaths. As they say: Don't judge a book by it's cover." Lorry guesses.

The emerald colored bird laughs. "Exactly. Now, Seiryyu is the most ruthless of the other three. He likes to say that both Genbu and Byakko have gotten soft, and he prides himself for not getting lax. However, all three of them would kill you without a second thought."

They both turn to look at the door as it opens. Suzaku stepped in and raises an eyebrow at how companionable the two females seemed to be. "I think I may like your human, Suzaku. She is very interesting." Murugu says, then adds, "I also have the supplies you wanted. They are waiting for you outside my room."

The phoenix demon nods "Thank you Murugu."


	6. Songs and Plushies

I have been looking through the Suzaku Episodes, and he is a lot more ruthless than I have portrayed him. The time he was most IC was when he attacked Lorry in the begining chapters. I cant help it though. I start typing and this is what comes out. Maybe Suzaku is a bit nicer to females? Who knows.

Some things that need explaining, stolen from the Artist's comments where I submitted them on Devantart.

Last chapter:

Here we see Lorry's thoughts on the relationship between herself and Suzaku. She is attracted to the way he looks, as he is hers, but because of her status, she isnt sure if she is allowed to act on those feelings.  
As with anyone who has lived to be twenty, she has browsed naughty websites and magazines, as well as read explicit romance stories.  
We also see what Suzaku's bedroom looks like.  
As for the dancing, Lorry was a talented singer (Who often got overlooked at the auditions for some reason or another) and took many dance classes. She loved the art of dancing and singing, and practiced as often as she could.

Suzaku and Amaya's relationship goes far back. Yes, they were lovers, and no, they arent involved anymore; thier relationship is now that of close friends.

Lorry's submissiveness and Gender are a large part of why Murugu is starting to like her. Think on it. The only humans Maze castle see are arrogant, confrontational male fighters. No weak willed people. No females.

Now for this Chapter:

The song is copyrighted to me. I wrote it to fit into the story. I do that a lot when there is a song to be sung, and you can find this song and the others on Deviantart, under the user TagoTarTogus.

This one came out quicker, mainly because the song takes up about half of the chapter. .;

SweetxasXSin: You have no idea how happy I am to have a fan. It really ups the motivation level. Thank you for your support!

* * *

The phoenix demon nods "Thank you Murugu."

He watches her as she flies out of the room, then turns to his slave.

"I'm going to be gone for the rest of the day. I've arranged for a servant to bring you dinner, as I did for lunch. I'll also have one just outside the door, so if there is anything you need to keep yourself occupied, just ring this bell and ask him."

He walks over and sets a small bell on the bedside table, within easy reach, then picks up the manacles. "Hold out your arms."

Lorry obediently lets him chain her back up, but asks, "What about when I need to… uh… visit the restroom?"

"The servant has a key to the manacles. If you need to go, ring the bell and he'll unchain you and escort you to the restroom. This is the only time you are allowed out of the room, so no running away. Got it?"

She nods in understanding, and the pheonix demon smiles and walks out the door. It didn't take long for her to get bored and she looks at the bell for a moment before ringing it. The servant was quick to appear, and she hesitated a few seconds before asking him for paper and writing tools. The servant returns with several sheets of paper, a pencil, and an eraser in his hands, which he places on the table.

After he had left, Lorry kneels in front of the table and thinks for a moment, before writing down song ideas and lyrics. It had been a while since she had had the freedom to compose her own songs. Most of the local bands had already had a composer, and only needed a backup singer. However, whenever a band showed interest in her abilities, something would happen that would change their mind. _'It's like I was born cursed, or bad luck followed me everywhere in Ningenkai. Nothing I did seemed to work out. Suzaku said I was lucky that I found the passageway, but I think it was just me checking for a way out of my situation. Maybe my luck has changed. Has it? Maybe I was lucky in finding the passageway that lead to a longer life, and for keeping me alive for so long. Alive and beaten often, or painfully dead? The answer seems obvious. Why does my good luck always have to have a cruel twist?'_ Her thoughts wander from there, having given her an idea for the new song.

~:o0o:~

_'Broken mirrors and black cats,_

_Walking under ladders and stepping on cracks,_

_Four leaf clovers and rabbit feet,_

_Seven things at once coming to meet,_

_Luck is so much more than that_

_The ways to change it are not so easily white or black'_

~:o0o:~

Suzaku finds the promised packages outside his friend's room and smiles. Murugu always came through with his requests. He orders a servant to carry them to one of his workrooms, then unpacks them. One box held the actual materials and pattern. The other? The demon narrows his violet eyes at the second box. If all he needed was in the other box, what was in this one? Curiosity gets the better of him and he opens the package. Inside -nestled in the folds of packing cloth- was an old sewing machine and a few sheets of paper. Suzaku picks up the paper and scans the writing. The first page simply stated that the owner had no use for the piece of equipment, as her daughter had brought her a new one earlier in the week and that he could keep her old one, along with a reassurance that it still worked fine. The next pages were instructions on how to use the sewing machine and how to assemble the plushie. Suzaku frowns. He had planned to hand stitch the whole plush, but if the letter was anything to go by, anything made that way would come apart within a year or two. If he wanted the plush to last a long time, he would have to use the machine.

But that was a few steps in the future. The demon lord pulls out the pattern and studies it, before pulling out the cloth and placing the pattern upon it. Time to get started.

~:o0o:~

_'They say some are born lucky and others are not._

_That it isn't a thing that can be sold or bought._

_If that is so, I must be an unlucky one'._

_'Some say it is evenly distributed between everyone on earth._

_That everyone gets an equal amount at birth._

_If that is so, where is mine?'_

~:o0o:~

Her thoughts wander back to her childhood. Very few of her classmates would socialize with her, and she was often left out when there were group games to play. She was a very lonely young girl, for her parents would often leaver her at one of their friend's house while they went to parties. They were successful business people, and often were so caught up in their work that they would forget she existed. As a result, she had a score of imaginary friends -often in the form of her stuffed animals- and at one time even imaginary parents. Her creations paid attention to her, played with her, praised her for what she did, and were everything a lonely child would want.

However, she couldn't escape reality, and would often find herself watching the laughing families play in the park with wistfulness.

~:o0o:~

_'Broken mirrors and black cats,_

_Walking under ladders and stepping on cracks,_

_Four leaf clovers and rabbit feet,_

_Seven things at once coming to meet,_

_Luck is so much more than that_

_The ways to change it are not so easily white or black'_

'_Picking up pennies and inside out clothes._

_Are these lucky? Who knows?_

_All I know is that you cant avoid cracks._

_Cats go where they wish and there is nothing you can do about that.'_

~:o0o:~

The pattern was cut, and the pins held the body together. He would have to connect the limbs, horns, ears, and eyes with hand-stitches. So far, so good.

Lorry was engrossed in her work. She had finished the song, and was now working on new ones.

~:o0o:~

_'I haven't broken any mirrors, except maybe that time when I was three. _

_Yet still, it seems bad luck has singled out me.'_

_'For I could never get anyone to go out with me on a date._

_They'd either make other plans or find a reason to be late. _

_I was rarely successful in things I applied for._

_Stores and bands turned me down until I couldn't take it anymore.' _

~:o0o:~

He cursed under his breath as the old sewing machine stabbed into his finger once again. Why did he think this was going to be easy? The pheonix glances up angrily as the door opens, but it was only a servant with dinner. _'That time already? How long have I been at this?' _He clears a place for the food, then orders the servant to bring him a few bandages.

_'And every time I auditioned to join a band, or get a job, they turned me down. Why? Mom and dad weren't much help. They didn't understand that I wanted to be a singer. They wanted me to follow in their footsteps, and look at numbers and forms all day. I would have gone crazy.' The_ female looks up, startled, as the servant brings in dinner. She sighs and sets down the pencil, and goes to eat.

~:o0o:~

_'Broken mirrors and black cats,_

_Walking under ladders and stepping on cracks,_

_Four leaf clovers and rabbit feet,_

_Seven things at once coming to meet,_

_Luck is so much more than that._

_The ways to change it are not so easily white or black.'_

_'Luck is so much more than that._

_The ways to change it are not so easily white or black,_

_And once it goes bad, it isn't so easy to change back.'_

_'Good luck with your luck.'_

~:o0o:~

Finished. Suzaku, his hands tightly bandaged, holds the plush in his hands. It looked fine, though the mouth was a bit lopsided and the hand stitched parts were rather obvious. He sets the completed plush down on the table, ordered the servant to clean up the scraps, and went to seek his bed. Upon arriving, he noticed the papers stacked on the table. Sliding past Lorry's sleeping form, he picks them up and scans them. A few songs, and a few pages dedicated to doodles. The tired demon's mouth lifts in a slight smile as he sets the pages down and gets ready for bed. His human was just full of surprises.


	7. Battles begin

Sorry for the long wait. A lot has been happening lately. I got two new lizards from a friend, then one of my other lizards dies of old age. ;_; I also have to get ready for College to start again, meaning I have to find my school supplies in the mess that I call my room. The internet modem hasnt been working, and I have art requests to finish and and and.... well you get the idea.

Notes on this chapter: I figured that Suzaku and Seiryyu would want to fight _sometimes_. How else would he test out his new attacks without having to replace servants? Suzaku was mostly annoyed with Yusuke's group because the managed to _defeat_ the others. The screen doesnt have sound because there are no speakers. Not sure why the orb has sound. Might be a Makai thing. I dunno.

Watcher demons are little more than eyeballs with wings and were used as both spies and security cameras. One is stationed at the Gate of Betrayal.

Suzaku doesnt mention that even if he gave permission, none of the others would go up there because the hallways are meant for demons _his_ size, so they would have to stoop or something to get through his domain.

* * *

Lorry yawns and stretches lazily. Was Suzaku awake? A light chuckle answers he question. "About time you woke up. Can't have you sleeping in now, can we?" Her master was sitting up in his bed and watching her with a grin. She eyes him nervously, wondering what the grin was for. "I've decided that you'll spend the morning singing. You did make new songs after all." Her reply was cut off by Murugu, who flew into the room. "Lord Suzaku! A small party of humans has reached the outskirts of the city. The others want to know your plans for them."

The blond demon scowls at the interruption, but nods. "I want to fight one of them in my territory, so…" He thinks for a minute. "When they reach a battle area, have them choose one of their number to fight. The rest are to move on ahead. That way my men can get the fight they want, and at least one human will make it to me."

"But what about the maze?" Murugu asks.

But Suzaku only smirks. "That is where the Watchers come in. They are going to be strewn along the safe path. If the humans are smart they will figure out that nothing lives on a dead end path."

Murugu laughs "An excellent idea! Oh, and Seiryyu want to talk to you in person."

Suzaku sighs. "Tell Seiryyu that he can wait until I eat breakfast and wash up. After all, the humans haven't reached the gate yet, so there is no need to rush. After you are done I want you to come back and lead my slave to the watchtower. As I will be with the others until the humans get to Seiryyu's area, you both can watch the entertainment from the screen."

Murugu chuckles. "I'll be on my way then." She turns and flies off to deliver her message. About the same time, a Servant comes in with breakfast. He sets the food on the table and leaves. The demon lord sits down and starts eating, but Lorry hesitates. "Um. Master? Will the other Saint Beasts be watching your fight?"

"No. They will be busy with their own fights."

Lorry was still unsure "But what if-"

"I told you that they aren't allowed in my domain without my expressed permission. That includes watching my battles. They will not find out about you. Now eat." Suzaku replies with a touch of impatience.

The blond female sighs and begins eating. She wasn't convinced, but knew better than to push the matter further. Soon they finish their meal and Suzaku stands up. "Wait here for Murugu… and behave." Lauryana nods and watches as he grabs a change of clothing and leaves the room.

Suzaku suppressed a groan of frustration as he walked towards the bathing room. It was taking a good deal of control to keep himself from simply fucking her into the mattress. That delectable body was tormenting him with seductive promises, but he wouldn't act upon them until he knew she was ready. One of his personal rules was that you don't take virgins without their consent. The first time for a female should be special, so that they had something to hold on to if or when they ended up with an abusive partner. _'Not that she has a choice about who she ends up with.'_ He thinks with a smirk _'She'll be with me for the rest of her life.'_

The demon lord heads to the bathing chamber and proceeds to thoroughly wash his body, erasing any trace of human scent. It was a precaution to ensure that none of the others knew she was still alive. If any of them found out he had let a human live, they would no doubt turn on him. _'They'll think that I have gone soft. Seiryyu will be the one to start the mutiny. He is the second strongest after all.'_

He finishes washing, dries off, and gets dressed in his clean clothes. _'I wonder what that dragon is going on about now. I'm not required to talk to him. I could have just sent the plans to him via a servant. I'm better off going myself though. This way I can remind all of them just who is in charge, and that I wont tolerate mutiny._' Those thoughts carry him all the way to the room where the other three Saint Beasts were waiting.

Lauryana looks up from her mattress as Murugu flies in to the room and announces. "I'm baaack!" The bird then goes to hover in front of the door, her ruby eyes dancing with excitement "Follow me." The human gets to her feet and follows the green bird demon through the hallways until they reached the watchtower. Lorry looks around curiously. The watchtower was a large domed area with very little furnishings. A throne-like chair sat at one end of the room, with a large screen attached to the wall closest to it. On the opposite side of the room a stairwell sank into the floor, leading to the rest of the castle. In fact, with the exception of the stairwell and chair, the floor was clear from one wall to the other.

"The humans should have made it to the gate by now." Murugu announced. As if on cue, the screen flickered to life. The scene was at the very entrance of the castle. Nine humans were walking confidently down the passageway. Some even appeared to be laughing as they joked with eachother. "It's a shame the screen doesn't get sound. I'd love to hear the battle dialogue for once. The crystal sphere that the others will be using has sound though." Murugu commented. Lorry nodded and sat down by the chair to watch.

The group of humans had gotten about half way through the gate a Watcher appeared and pulled a lever, causing the ceiling to lower. The humans ran, but were too slow to reach the end. Lorry winced. She could remember straining under the weight of that ceiling, just as the challengers were doing now. There seemed to be a lot of arguing, and finally one of the group sprinted out to the lever and yanked it up. The men all relax as the pressure stops, but their relief was short lived. A large boulder drops from the ceiling and lands on the man who had pulled the lever. The Watcher apparently said something, for a tall brunet turned to it and shouted angrily. After a minute, the humans conferred and moved on.

"Do they really think we will be cowed by their feeble threats?" a rumbling voice asked. The speaker, a large tiger demon, looked at the viewing orb in disgust.

"It is foolishness on their part. We will never be defeated by the likes of them." Seiryyu replied.

"They will soon learn that. Now that Genbu has left to fight, the game will quickly get entertaining." Suzaku remarked.

"So you say. It will be good to have an opponent to fight again. Too much idleness causes ones skills to tarnish." Seiryyu responded.

The pheonix demon looked pointedly at him, knowing what the dragon implied. "I can assure you I would be the _last _to let my skills grow dull. Unless you'd like to challenge me?"

"I would not think of it." Seiryyu's tone was submissive.

Satisfied, Suzaku turns his attention back to the orb. Byakko muttered and headed down to his domain, knowing that his fight would be coming up soon.

Lorry watches as the group of humans reach a large room and stop to look around. She gasps in surprise as what she had though to be a pile of rocks gets up and start talking.

Murugu laughs. "That's Genbu. Quite a sight, isn't he?"

The humans apparently thought the same thing. There was a tense moment as the humans and demon glared at eachother, then a red-haired man approached the Rock demon and started talking while the rest moved to the stairwell.

"It appears that they have the same idea as Suzaku. Oh well. We'll be able to watch a little of his battle before the others reach Byakko." The emerald colored bird sighs.

Lorry watches as the human and demon face off. The opponents seemed to be arguing with eachother, but the man didn't notice that Genbu's tail was sinking into the floor. The man suddenly noticed and yelled in surprise, just as the tail re-appears behind them and stabs. The man leaps out the way, but was grazed. Genbu laughed as he withdrew his tail then and shattered. Thousands of pieces impaled the doomed man, then the demon reformed in his original spot.

"Well that didn't last as long as I had hoped. Next up is Byakko." Murugu sounded disappointed, but Lorry was glad the battle was over. The screen flickers to the group of humans as they reach the top of the stairs. Byakko stood at the end of a bridge on a platform that led to the next set of stairs. This time a pair of twins stepped forward to confront the demon. The remaining six humans walked past him and farther into the castle. After a minute, Byakko pulls out a few strands of fur, and tosses them into the air. The fur turns into four eyed beasts and both of the twins looked alarmed. As one, they drew their swords and begin fighting. It took a while for the two to defeat them, but eventually all the beasts were killed. Byakko snarls at something one of the twins said, and he comes down from his perch to confront the two.

Abruptly, the scene flickered to show the rest of the humans, who were arguing in front of six doors. "Ah, they've reached the maze. Seiryyu had a Watcher give them a hint, but it looks like they are mistrustful." Murugu exclaims. Finally they sent someone in to the third door from the left. When he didn't return after half an hour, the leader chose the second door on the right. They made good progress until they came to a fork in the hallway. A watcher demon flew past them to head down the left path, and one man was sent down the right hand path. When he didn't return, the last two men headed down the left path. From there they watched for the small demons and progressed without hindrance.

A sound distracts Lauryana from the screen, and she turns to see her Master stepping out from the stairwell. "Our guests will be arriving shortly. Lorry? You are to stay by the throne at all times." He then sits down in the throne and watches the screen.


	8. Heal

Hi! I'm back with a new chapter. Sorry it took so long. Collage started up again and it took me a few days to adjust.

Check my profile for a bonus picture

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It soon became apparent that Suzaku's fight would come faster than expected, as the leader was running up the stairs in order to get to his opponent. The screen followed him halfway up the stairs, then Suzaku gestures and the image splits into three sections, each displaying the scenes of battle. Lorry hears the footsteps of the man as he gets closer, and watches as the brown haired human strode determinedly to the center of the room and announced, "I am Ray Grimmer, the best demon-slayer the Spirit world has. I have beaten your insane castle, and am here to defeat you."

Lauryana's eye twitched. _'Beaten the castle? More like given clues so that he could get this far. Doesn't he realize that there should have been more competition before he reached the leader? Why hasn't he realized that this was all arranged? How stupid is he?' _Suzaku steps further into the room and Murugu leaves his shoulder to hover above the soon-to-be battleground, laughing aloud at the man's idiocy. "I am Suzaku, Leader of the Saint Beasts. I have to say: since you are the best, this battle should prove to be entertaining." Suzaku then nods in his pet's direction. "And to make it even better, your defeat is going to have an audience." The man looks in the direction of his opponent's gaze, and snarls angrily when he spots the nude female. "You sick bastard!"

Suzaku just smirks, "Why don't you check on your friends? I'm sure you'd love to see how they have fared." The human stares at the screen. Lorry knew without having to look that each of the battles were being displayed. The red-head had already died, as had the twins, so all that was showing for them was Genbu and Byakko as they devoured their bodies. Seiryyu's fight was almost finished, and the screen showed the black haired male as he made a final stand. All too soon it was over, an the last surviving human winced as his companion turned into an ice sculpture.

He then turns to glare at the Saint beast, who continues to smirk "I'm sorry. It seems that your are the only one left." Enraged by the demon's actions, the human rushes at Suzaku and throws a punch. Lauryana gasps as the fist makes contact with her master's cheek. The force of the blow sends the blond demon staggering back a few steps, and Ray takes the opportunity to land a few more blows. Recovering quickly, Suzaku fights back and quickly gains back the ground he had lost. There was a pause as both males sized each other up, and then the fight started up again.

Lauryana watches as her master and the human fight. It was rather clear to her that Suzaku had the advantage, and was simply toying with his foe, as all his strikes were aimed to hurt and not to kill. For some reason, that didn't worry her as much as how the brunet human kept glancing at her. The look in his eyes was one of undisguised lust. She shuddered and crouched closer to the chair in an attempt to hide from the man's gaze. She felt ashamed for wanting Suzaku to win, for betraying her species, but at least Suzaku had been going no farther than caresses and meaningful looks. If this human male got a hold of her... She shudders again. No. Best not to think of that.

Suzaku scowls and throws another punch. "Keep your eyes on the fight!" He_ had_ been enjoying the fight, but was quickly becoming annoyed with how the human kept looking at his slave. _'Does he really think that he can afford to look elsewhere? I may be going too easy on him. Time to fix that.' _The saint beast blocked the blow that was aimed his way and threw one of his own, this time adding electricity to the mix. His opponent yelled in pain and backed off a bit, clenching his teeth angrily as he looks from Lorry and back to Suzaku.

The demon lord glances at her as well, and is slightly amused to see how she tried to stay out of sight. Ray had noticed as well, and scowls, before turning to fight again. This time he pulls out a knife and two throwing stars, and hurls them at Suzaku. The pheonix demon curses and dodges the sharp metal stars, but one still cuts through his shirt and grazes his side.

Lorry closes her eyes for a moment, hoping to relieve her headache. It was true what she had told Suzaku when she had first met him; that she was a healer. Right now, her healer's nature was urging her to rush out there and heal those injuries, pressing down on her mind in a compulsion that was hard to push aside.

She opens here eyes to see Ray swipe at her master with his closed fist, blades protruding between his fingers. The attack was successful, and her master now had another set of red stripes on his chest.

"What's the matter? Surely the Leader would be stronger than this. I'm disappointed! I come all this way looking forward to the battle, and this is all I get. _Pathetic_!" Ray taunts, his eyes narrowing in challenge.

Suzaku leaps a good ten feet to the other side of the room, then hold up his hand, summoning lightning. "Then Prepare yourself for my true power! _Storm of Torment_!" he calls as he leaps back at the Brunette. Ray's eyes widen as he sees the lightning that was held in his opponents hands, and moves to dodge.

No luck. The lightning sought out Ray like metal to a magnet, and he screams in agony as the electricity surrounds him in an inescapable cage. Lorry crouches further to the ground, wincing as she watched his fallen form writhe on the ground. _'Ouch! Well now I know he's been gentle with me_.'

Suzaku turns to watch the scene, and Murugu chortles as she lands on his shoulder "I just love it when they writhe like that." Suzaku said nothing, as he was busy checking his injuries. He looks back to the human as Ray got to his feet and comments, "You're still willing to fight? How idiotic. You should know when to give up. No matter. Your life wont last long anyway."

Ray gritted his teeth as he rose, then charged the demon. However, Suzaku simply punched him, sending him crashing to the floor once again. "Then why do you keep _her_ alive?" the human gasps out.

"That is none of your concern. Now _die_!" Suzaku struck the human with Storm of Torment once again, and this time Ray didn't move again. Satisfied, Suzaku looks over at Lauryana "You said you were a healer, right?" At the female's nod, he motions to his injuries "Then tend to these once we get back to my chambers. I also desire a back massage."

"I suppose you want me to have a servant clean up the area?" Murugu asks, and the Demon Lord nods. "And have the weapons checked for poison."

The bird demon chirps an affirmative, then flies off to find a servant. Lorry gets up and follows her master back to his chamber, then pauses "You'll have to take your top off so I can check your injuries."

Suzaku complies and takes his scarf and top off, then faces his slave. Lorry fights down her nervousness and runs her fingers over the injuries, then closes her eyes. The purple eyed demon watches as a faint blue-green glow surrounds her fingers as they ran over his skin.

_'No poison, and a smooth cut. These should heal quickly even without my help.'_ The blond female thinks as she uses her powers to heal the wounds. Under her fingertips, the gashes knitted together until there was only a small line where they used to be. The glow fades from her fingertips and she opens her eyes to find Suzaku staring at her with a small smirk. He lies down on his bed, and she blushes as she runs her fingers over his back. After a small pause, she applies gently pressure and starts moving her fingers in a circular motion, moving up and down his spine, them moving to his shoulders. Suzaku relaxed under her touch and sighs, delighted with how skilful her fingers were. Lorry smiles and starts again, with a bit more pressure. Finding several knots in his shoulder muscles, she gently rubs them until they loosen, then continues with the massage. Finally she massages his back again with her fingers and thumbs, before lightening up the pressure until she was simply rubbing his back. Suzaku lies still for a while longer, then rolls over and drags the startled human into his arms. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Lorry wiggled, then gave up. "I took a course in Back Massages in hopes that I could get a job over the summer. I didn't, but the knowledge has stayed with me all these years." She pauses, then asks "I… take it you approve?"

"Very much." The blond demon nods and pulls her against his body and placing her head against his chest. Lorry relaxes and sighs, listening to his slow heartbeat. They lay like that for a while, until a servant knocks on the door, indicating lunch had arrived. Suzaku releases his slave and orders the servant to place the food on the bedside table. He then leans back against the pile of cushions and smirks at her sudden blush "Feed me."

Lorry hesitates a moment, wondering if her master knew that these commands were things lovers would do, but then picks up a few grapes and begins feeding them to the purple eyed demon one by one. As she continued to pamper him, Lauryana mused at how sure of himself the demon was. _'He's powerful and sexy and he knows it. He is the top demon of the area and can have anything he wants, so it's no wonder he is so confident.'_

After his plate was cleared, the demon lord closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander. He could hear his slave quietly eating her own food, and was pleased with how well she picked up on his orders and wishes. _'She may earn her clothes back sooner than I would like. After all, that body of hers is rather nice to look at.'_

The blue eyed female finishes her meal and asks quietly "Is there anything else you want?"

Suzaku thinks for a second, then responds that he would like her to sing. "Something soft and not too gloomy."

"As you wish." Lorry mentally goes through her list of songs she knew by heart, then softly begins singing.


	9. As the mind wanders

Ah! I am so so sooo sorry for neglecting this fic. I bet you all forgot about it, didnt you. I dont blame you. *bows* Please accept my humble apologies for this.

Suzaku: ¬.¬ At least you are writing again.

.; I'm sorry...

As always, reviews are loved, but if you have any questions about the plot please message me. That way I can keep better track of our conversation and use the ideas I may come up with

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Suzaku closes his eyes as he listens to the song. The human's question came back to him _"Why do you keep her alive?"_ He ponders the reason he had rescued her. Originally, it had been on a whim, idly musing about keeping the runaway human as a source of entertainment for a little while. He had seen the attitudes of the males that had ventured into the castle, but he had only seen females when he was watching the humans interact in their world. He had known that females were less aggressive than the other gender, proven again and again by the men who had come to the castle, so he had been surprised when he had found out that this one was female. She had therefore piqued his interest, and he had decided to keep her alive until he grew bored. _'What changed that?'_ He thought back to the first week. Back then she had a cheerful, overly curious personality. Because he was pretending to be friendly, she had opened up to him rather quickly, asking many questions about his world and sharing stories of hers. He grew more and more fascinated with the female as the days progressed. It seemed strange to him that she could be so open with her feelings. In Makai, your feelings had to be hidden, else they be used against you.

Soon, he found himself wanting to keep her around, despite having grown bored of her company. Her presence seemed to lift some of the gloom that pervaded the castle. The resulting confusion of 'I hate humans' and 'I like her' had caused a lot of tension, and he found his facade of niceness slipping more and more often. He liked her, and he hated her for it. His solution to the problem was to label her as his slave. They were nice to have around, but he didn't have to like or be nice to them. It seemed an acceptable solution at the time, and still was. As his thoughts wander further, he closes his eyes and enjoys having his human obey his every command. Lorry had a set of talents that were diverse from what the majority of his slaves and servants had. She was, among other things, creative, curious, and nice to look at. But that wasn't the answer. _'Why do I keep her alive? Is there really an answer to that? An answer not full of excuses? Do I really know?_' No. He didn't, and that was what bothered him the most.

Lauryana's song comes to an end, and she is silent while she searches for another song to sing.

"Enough. " Suzaku sat up and strode to the door, needing to find an outlet for his energy. "Follow me" Curious, Lorry followed him through his domain back to the Watch Tower. By now there was no signs of the battle that had taken place this morning left, so the room looked rather empty. "Master, what are we doing here?" She asks, confused.

"I need to work off some of that energy I built up during that battle. We are going to be doing Tai Chi together." He responds as he strides to a place in the room where he would have a lot of space. Lorry nods and moves to another area, then they both begin. Each went through the slow graceful movements, clearing their mind of all distractions. Well, almost all.

Suzaku couldn't help but notice how her fluid movements enhanced her natural grace, while Lorry kept eyeing his flexing muscles. Each tried to ignore the other, but it was like telling oneself not to look at something that one found visually appealing. Suzaku glanced over at Lauryana again, catching her glancing at him. The golden haired demon suppressed a smug smirk and flexed his muscles again, causing her to blush and look away.

They continue the Tai Chi for a while longer, then head back to Suzaku's rooms to wait for dinner. He asked her a few questions about her home life, and while she answered, it was clear she didn't like thinking about those times. Finally, a servant arrived with dinner and they both eat their meals, Suzaku making sure that she ate all of it less she lose weight again, then bathe and head to bed. Lorry wonders at his attitude towards her for a moment, noting how he had been rather, well… friendly to be around, in contrast to how he had previously treated her. It could have been that he was actually warming up to her, or that he had fallen back into the "Be her friend to gain her trust" routine, or something completely different.

It was still dark when Suzaku awoke, having had his sleep disturbed by a sound coming from his slave's bed. She was whimpering and thrashing in her sleep, obviously having a nightmare. Perhaps this had been caused by seeing he and the other Saint Beasts deal with intruders, which could be terrifying to one as gentle as she. Just as he was debating waking her up, she jolts awake with a squeak of fear and sits up, breathing heavily. Suzaku lay still, waiting for her to fall back asleep. It didn't happen. She softly patted his bed, gazing up at him with fright filled eyes, somehow knowing he was awake. "Master Suzaku? May I please… come up there and sleep with you?"

He was about to say no and order her to go back to sleep, but something in her eyes changed that. The blond demon sighs and unchains her then moves to the side of the bed. Lorry was under the covers a lot faster than he had expected her to be, and she looks sleepily at him. "Thank you. For some reason, you are able to scare my nightmares away." The human immediately snuggles up against his side. Suzaku frowns, but says nothing. After a few seconds, her fearful trembling abates, and she drifts into a quiet slumber. It took a bit more effort for Suzaku to get to sleep, feeling her body nestled up against his, but eventually he too drifted off.

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Morning. Suzaku opened his eyes slowly, enjoying the feeling of having a female curled up against him. Lorry had slept soundly in his arms all through the night, and now rested in his arms with her back pressed up against his stomach. She was still asleep, so he knew she wasn't consciously feeling his arousal as it pressed up against her back. More the pity actually, as he was sure he was slowly going mad seeing that delectable nude body of hers all the time and having to keep himself from jumping her simply because he had made a –rather stupid- goal to not have sex with her until she had redeemed herself for running away. _'But there are other willing females in the castle…_' The thought came unbidden, and he smirks as a plan begins to form. _'Maybe the goal isn't so stupid_.'

Soon, Lorry begins to stir and Suzaku grins to himself. The way his slave had tensed up revealed that she had realized the position she was in. He pulls her closer, so that she was pressed firmly against all of his body. Lauryana's face heats up and she lets out a nervous whine. She could feel a hard _thing_ pressed up against her rear. They lie there for a while, then Suzaku flips her so that she was facing him. Or should have been facing him. The poor girl had closed her eyes tight, ducked her head and was blushing with embarrassment.

He smirks "Lorry? What's wrong?"

"I… Your… uh..." She stammers, then drops her voice "Nothing"

He hadn't thought it was possible, but her adorable blush grew brighter. The blond demon grins to himself. He could almost hear her trying to decide whether it was possible to escape from his grip or not. Feeling playful, he carefully tightens his grip, knowing this would set her off. Sure enough, the human's blue eyes widen and she starts scrabbling to get free. Suzaku watches her in amusement. She couldn't hurt him.

He was wrong.

In desperation, Lorry draws her nails against his bare chest, leaving behind red marks on his skin. The action startles Suzaku enough that he lets go of his slave. Fearfully, the human scrambles backward until she hits the wall.

Suzaku examines the fingernail marks. There was no damage done, but he still should teach he a lesson on not attacking her master. He gets up and heads over to the human, but when he reaches her all thoughts of punishment leave his mind. Lauryana was huddled as close to the wall as she could get, her small form shaking with fear. "Lauryana?" She flinched.

Still, he steps closer. "Why did you attack me?" The trembling human doesn't answer.

"Answer me slave!" His tone was more commanding now.

The terrified female whimpers "I- I'm sorry master. I panicked. It won't happen again. I promise! _Please don't hurt me_." The last sentence heavy with despair, as if she somehow knew his previous intentions. Suzaku ignores the rest of her frightened babbling, continuing to approach until he was right in front of his slave. She just looked so pitiful, cowering against the wall like that.

The leader of the Saint Beasts crouches down in front of his blue-eyed slave, and in a softer voice says "Lorry? Look at me."

Hesitantly, the blond human lifts her head to meet his questioning gaze, her eyes fearful, but with a faint spark of hope. Curse it. She looked way too appealing when she looked at him like that. The amethyst-eyed demon sighs. "Just don't do that again, or I will really have to hurt you." Lauryana nods quietly, confused at his non-violent reprimand.

He turns away and hears her stand up "After breakfast and this morning's bath, I have a few things to take care of."

"Okay." Lauryana responds quietly, not really wanting to interact with her master after what had just happened. Suzaku turns and summons a servant to bring them breakfast, then starts surveying the room, adding details to his plan. Lorry watched him with cautious blue eyes, afraid to interrupt his thoughts. She didn't think he would appreciate that, and she was also afraid to find out what he was planning. She watches as he examines a set of head-high sconces, checking the height and how well they could be seen from the bed. As he goes over to check the length of the chains he had used on her, she wilted. No. Definitely not something she wanted to know about.


	10. Lessons

As promised, a new chapter of Prisoner. I hope you enjoy it

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The food arrives soon after, and she follows Suzaku to the table, somehow feeling hungrier than she usually did at this time. Suzaku watches with approval as she dug into her food, pleased that she was gaining back the weight she had lost. As he finishes his meal his gaze roves over the human's nude body. _'She's definitely filling out. That's good._' An image of her curvaceous body writhing beneath him flashes through his mind and he freezes as he fights down his desire. By the time his slave had finished cleaning her plate his arousal was in check and he could look at her again without wanting to take her to his bed and fuck her until she begged. Or until they were too tired to do anything but sleep. Whichever came first.

When Lauryana finishes, he leads her to the bathing room. This time there was no talking, as both were too wrapped up in their own thoughts to communicate. Afterwards, back in Suzaku's chamber, he has the blond female stand to the side of the room as he moves the chains from above her mattress to hang from the sconces. Lorry kept silent as he graciously moved a cushion under the sconces and chained her to them. When she looks warily up at him, he just pats her head with a fond smile and told her to make herself comfortable while he gets something. After he left, she tests the length of the chains and finds that she can sit down on the cushion, but only if her hands were suspended above her head.

She had just started wondering what this was all about when her Master walks back into the room. Her eyes widen as a pretty female servant follows him in. Suzaku glances her way with a smirk, and when the servant looks at him questioningly he shakes his head, wordlessly telling her that it was none of her concern. Suzaku pulls the servant forward and slowly pulls off her tunic, revealing her bare chest. He fondles her breasts and the servant closes her eyes and flushes in pleasure.

Lauryana blushes in embarrassment as she realized that her master was going to make her watch this.

She watches in embarrassed curiosity as he strips his shirt off, then lowers his head and places his mouth on the servant's nipples. She apparently liked that, as her back arched and she gave a small moan. Lauryana squirms, not quite sure she would feel so comfortable giving him access to such tender areas, but curious to why the servant found it pleasurable. Suzaku starts stripping the servant of her lower clothing, helping her out of her pants and underwear, all the while continuing to work her nipples with his mouth. The servant seemed to have forgotten Lauryana was watching, but a sly look directed her way proved that Suzaku was well aware of his audience. Lorry feels a jolt of _something_ speed through her that that look he had sent her.

He lifts his head and pulls the servant closer to the bed, groping her rear and then reaching down to fondle her nether regions.

Lorry's eyes widen as the female moans again. _'She actually enjoys that? Why is he being so gentle?' _Up till now, she had been quite convinced that Suzaku was rarely gentle, even with the ones he took to his bed. This… scheme that he was currently acting out in front of her threw most of that notion out the window.

She was fascinated, and couldn't tear her eyes away, especially when the servant starts running her hands over Suzaku's chest and tugging at his pants.

He chuckled and allowed her to undress him, pleased with how responsive this particular servant was. What made it better was how well he had predicted his slave's reaction. Despite her embarrassment, she could not look away, and that made this lesson even more powerful.

As the servant tugs his pants down, revealing his heavy erection, he heard Lauryana gasp, and a glance showed she was trying to avoid looking at it. No matter. Her natural curiosity would get the better of her, as it always did.

Lorry hangs her head, sure she must be bright red from blushing so hard. Dicks on the internet were one thing. Dicks in the same room as her were quite another. Still… She risks a peek at what was going on. The servant was handling his package, massaging his balls and running her fingers up and down his erection, while at the same him kissing him on the lips. He was fondling her breasts again, and after a minute she breaks the kiss off with a moan of pleasure. She closes the space between them and moves her hands to massage his back, while rubbing her body up against his. He gently nips her neck and pulls her to the bed, making sure to go around the side closest to his slave. However, it was getting a bit hard to think, and he struggled to remain clear headed.

He guides the servant onto the bed, and when her back was resting against the sheets he starts kissing and nipping his way down her body.

It was becoming apparent to Lorry that in bed Suzaku was a very considerate lover. Despite never having had a lover of her own, Lorry felt a flush of arousal curl in her belly and her skin grow fevered as she watched him lower his head to lick the servant's clit.

The servant bucked and moaned at the touch, and Suzaku smirks before placing his hands on her thighs to pin them down. As he continued, she writhed, moaning and gasping as the pleasure overwhelmed her. Sensing she was close, he raised himself to hover over her. She grasped at his shoulders as he plunged in and started pumping. They shared kisses and she ran her fingernails down his chest, sending a jolt of pleasure through him. He nips her neck, sending her into orgasm. Her walls clench around him, and he pumps a few more times before having his own climax. They both were breathing hard, and Suzaku rests a bit before rising and getting a towel to wipe themselves off. After the servant leaves, flushed and happy, he looks at Lauryana. "I know you were watching little one. Soon that will be you." He chuckles softly as she once again ducks her head. He could see her blush though, so he knew he had made an impression.

He was pleased with himself. Not only had he gotten rid of his sexual tension, his little slave had also taken the lesson very well.

Lauryana flushed even more as he approached her to remove her chains. The warmth pooling in her belly had not died down, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. She had the strangest urge to jump her master and have him repeat that show on her. However, as soon as he unchained her Suzaku went back to his bed, lay down, and closed his eyes. _'Had he exhausted himself doing that?'_ Lauryana wondered as she lay down on her mattress. _'Why would he do that? Why would he tire himself to the point of weakness just to have sex with a ser- female. He exhausts himself just to make sure his female partner is satisfied. But why?'_

When no answers were forthcoming, she too closed her eyes and dozed off.


	11. Dress up

I am so, _so_ sorry for leaving you all hanging on this story. I dont know what happened, but I think Suzaku and Lauryana went on vacation, didnt tell me, and as such, I wasnt able to get this part of the sotry from them.

To all of you who have been waiting, thanks so much for doing so.

~Kara

* * *

When she awoke, restless due to very _interesting_ dreams, she found Suzaku sitting at the table conferring with Amaya. When she sat up, she could see there were strips and squares of fabric on the table, along with some papers she guessed had outfit designs on them. The kitsune would point at a few strips of cloth, quietly comment on them, and then her Master would point to others and quietly argue back. At least, it sounded like arguing. It certainly was a disagreement of some sort.

Finally, the discussion came to a close, and they get up. Amaya pins the strips of cloth together and after bowing to Suzaku, leaves.

He glances at his slave, noting that she was awake. The blond demon gets up, walks over, and ruffles her hair. She flushes and lowers her head in embarrassment, probably remembering that she was naked. "I'll be out for the rest of today. I recommend asking one of my servants for things that my room doesn't have." He wasn't happy about the work he needed to do, but there were things that couldn't be left to pile up. Stupid paperwork.

After she nodded, he left and headed to the library. The demons of the city paid a tithe to stay in the safety of the city, and even if it was only a small bit per demon, with all the residents, and the bribes some residents paid for various reasons, it was a good income.

The servant in charge of keeping track of the accounts was there to meet him, and after the phoenix demon sat down, the report began.

For both Lorry and Suzaku, the next few hours passed uneventfully. When Suzaku finished with the accounts and other business, he found Lorry curled up in the armchair engrossed in novel she had found on his bookshelf.

He goes over and picks the book he had been reading before this whole thing started off the armchair's end table and glanced down at Lorry. She starts, suddenly realizing he was there, and quickly scrambles off the chair. "Sorry Master!"

Before she could get too far, he halts her with a word and sits down. She watches him get comfortable, her blue eyes wary, and when he gestures for her to sit on his lap, they narrow suspiciously. However, she complies and perches gingerly on his lap, high-strung with nervousness. Her master smiles reassuringly at her, wraps an arm around her waist, and begins reading his book. After a few seconds, when he did nothing more than release her waist for a second to turn the page, Lauryana relaxes a bit and goes back to her book.

The minutes passed, and by dinnertime they both were companionable enough to make small talk about the books that they had read. She made small comments and quips on the actions of the characters, and he responded in turn with comments and snide remarks of his own, pleased with her observations.

By the time they went to bed, both had a new understanding of the other.

* * *

Suzaku woke early, turning up the lights until they emitted a soft glow. Enough to see and write by, but not enough to disturb sleep. His artistic side had been pestering him on and off ever since he had first chained Lorry to the wall, when he first seen her nude form. Now the urge to draw her had become unbearable. Silently he slips out of bed and locates his art supplies. After retrieving them her pulls a chair near Lorry's mattress and begins sketching her as she slept. Rough sketch turned refined. Refined sketch turned to complete drawing. When he was finally satisfied with it, the urge to draw her _right__now_ was gone so he filled another page with various poses he would like her to be in when he would again feel like doing something detailed. That left only one more urge to slake, but he knew he couldn't do so yet. He eyes his drawing once more before tucking it safely in a drawer, then returns to bed. He had learned early on, as any artist did, that art muses had complete disregard for sleep schedules.

That morning, Lauryana stirred far earlier than usual. Her heated dreams, and echo of what she had witnessed yesterday, had left her restless and she was eager to be up and doing something, anything, to keep her mind off them. She cautiously pokes her head up to check on her master, and, finding him still asleep, smiles softly.

She was beginning to suspect that the kindness he had shown her when she had first arrived wasn't just a ruse, but was instead a part of him that he kept very well hidden.

Still a bit tired, the blond haired human lies down on her mattress, intending to only close her eyes for a bit. When she opens them again, she finds Suzaku unchaining her from the wall. "Amaya will have the outfits for you to try on today. She'll be by after breakfast."

Lauryana nods and sits up, flushing slightly as his fingers glide across her wrist as he removes the shackles that had bound them during the night. She had become super aware of his every touch, ever since yesterday's event.

As they sat down to the breakfast the servant brought, Suzaku tried not to notice the soft curves of the female sitting across from him. He had thought he had slaked his lust with that servant yesterday, but it had left him, while physically sated, unsatisfied. It hadn't been the servant he had been lusting after. He wouldn't be completely satisfied until he had _her_ underneath him, writhing in pleasure. Would she be a screamer, or would her cries or ecstasy be soft? He wanted to know, badly, but was determined to at least see it to the end of the week before he mounted her. And wouldn't it be a sweeter victory if in the mean time he could teach her a few things about giving and taking pleasure? Non-intimate of course; the small things like strokes and kisses that gave flavor to a sexual encounter. Damn. He needed to get his mind on other things before Amaya arrived.

Lauryana finished her meal, unaware of her master's inner turmoil. As she sat back and watched Suzaku finish his portion, she reflects that she could have had it much worse off, both under his care and especially if she had been captured by one of the others. At least now she was getting fed on a regular basis.

Suzaku gets up, but motions for her to stay sitting. She watches as he moves a few things to the side of the room, apparently getting the place ready for when Amaya arrived.

When he was satisfied, he shooed her off to get clean. Lauryana meekly complied, and came back a little later to find him sitting in his armchair, flipping through a book. She had just settled onto her mattress to wait for Amaya when there was a tap at the door. When Suzaku opened it, Amaya greeted him, then swept into the room carrying a very large box filled with fabric.

"Come on dear. Get in the center of the room so I can try these on you." the Kitsune exclaimed happily. The final show of the outfits was one of her favorite part of being a seamstress.

Lauryana complied, moving to stand in the center while the enthusiastic fox demon handed her the first outfit.

With Suzaku watching on, She tried on a dress in red and black, with gold accents; a red outfit that reminded her of a harem outfit, again with gold accents; a blue kimono that matched her eyes; and many other outfits. By the time Amaya left she had tried on a dozen outfits for Suzaku's approval and felt very worn out. The blond human sagged against the wall as he carefully put the outfits away in a small dresser. He caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, and after shutting the drawer, sat on the bed and patted his lap. "Come here, pet."

Lorry hesitates, then cautiously moves to the bed and sits in his lap, tensing when he wraps his arms around her.

After he does no more than hold her, Lauryana cautiously mutters, "I felt like one of those dress-up dolls that little girls play with." Suzaku only chuckles and pulls her further into his arms, idly running his fingers along her silky skin. She quivers under the touch, liking it but still unsure of the gentleness he was displaying.

A cold breeze blows though the window, and she shivers and instinctively curls her body closer to his heated one.

They sit like that for a while, neither one saying anything. Suzaku glances at the human in his arms and smiles, then cups her face in his hands, splays his fingers in her hair and tilts his mouth to meet hers. The kiss was a fierce one, demanding her compliance, her submission. Surprised at the action, she gasps, and he takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. She whimpers into the kiss as his tongue explores her cavity, and he smirks as he savors her surrender. It made the kiss all that much sweeter.

They part for a breath, and Suzaku takes the moment to look down at her. She was looking up at him, eyes slightly lidded, cheeks flushed. He smirks and kisses her again, this time slower, gentler, and more sensual. Teeth lightly grazing her lip. His tongue slowly thrusting in and out of her mouth. It was a kiss for a lover.

'_He__'__s__ being __so __gentle.__ What __does __this __kiss __mean?_' Lorry manages to wonder, her senses reeling. She had never been kissed before, but she knew this one had a special meaning. It was rather like those she had sighed longingly over when she had read romance novels. The ones that spoke of heated blood and skin, scatted wits, and above all; passion.


End file.
